Generics 2-May-19

ArrayLists and arrays A ArrayList is like an array of Objects, but... Arrays use [ ] syntax; ArrayLists use object syntax An ArrayList expands as you add things to it Arrays can hold primitives or objects, but ArrayLists can only hold objects To create an ArrayList: ArrayList myList = new ArrayList(); Or, since an ArrayList is a kind of List, List myList = new ArrayList(); To use an ArrayList, boolean add(Object obj) Object set(int index, Object obj) Object get(int index)

ArrayLists, then and now Starting in Java 5, ArrayLists have been genericized That means, every place you used to say ArrayList, you now have to say what kind of objects it holds; like this: ArrayList<String> If you don’t do this, you will get a warning message, but your program will still run

Auto boxing and unboxing Java won’t let you use a primitive value where an object is required--you need a “wrapper” ArrayList<Integer> myList = new ArrayList<Integer>(); myList.add(new Integer(5)); Similarly, you can’t use an object where a primitive is required--you need to “unwrap” it int n = ((Integer)myArrayList.get(2)).intValue(); Java 1.5 makes this automatic: myArrayList<Integer> myList = new myArrayList<Integer>(); myList.add(5); int n = myList.get(2); Other extensions make this as transparent as possible For example, control statements that previously required a boolean (if, while, do-while) can now take a Boolean There are some subtle issues with equality tests, though

Generics A generic is a method that is recompiled with different types as the need arises The bad news: Instead of saying: List words = new ArrayList(); You'll have to say: List<String> words = new ArrayList<String>(); The good news: Replaces runtime type checks with compile-time checks No casting; instead of String title = (String) words.get(i); you use String title = words.get(i); Some classes and interfaces that have been “genericized” are: Vector, ArrayList, LinkedList, Hashtable, HashMap, Stack, Queue, PriorityQueue, Dictionary, TreeMap and TreeSet

Generic Iterators An Iterator is an object that will let you step through the elements of a list one at a time List<String> listOfStrings = new ArrayList<String>(); ... for (Iterator i = listOfStrings.iterator(); i.hasNext(); ) { String s = (String) i.next(); System.out.println(s); } Iterators have also been genericized: List<String> listOfStrings = new ArrayList<String>(); ... for (Iterator<String> i = listOfStrings.iterator(); i.hasNext(); ) { String s = i.next(); System.out.println(s); } You can also use the new for statement (to be discussed)

Writing generic methods private void printListOfStrings(List<String> list) { for (Iterator<String> i = list.iterator(); i.hasNext(); ) { System.out.println(i.next()); } } This method should be called with a parameter of type List<String>, but it can be called with a parameter of type List The disadvantage is that the compiler won’t catch errors; instead, errors will cause a ClassCastException This is necessary for backward compatibility Similarly, the Iterator need not be genericized as an Iterator<String>

Type wildcards Here’s a simple (no generics) method to print out any list: private void printList(List list) { for (Iterator i = list.iterator(); i.hasNext(); ) { System.out.println(i.next()); } } The above still works in Java 1.5, but now it generates warning messages Java 1.5 incorporates lint (like C lint) to look for possible problems You should eliminate all errors and warnings in your final code, so you need to tell Java that any type is acceptable: private void printListOfStrings(List<?> list) { for (Iterator<?> i = list.iterator(); i.hasNext(); ) { System.out.println(i.next()); } }

Writing your own generic types public class Box<T> { private List<T> contents; public Box() { contents = new ArrayList<T>(); } public void add(T thing) { contents.add(thing); } public T grab() { if (contents.size() > 0) return contents.remove(0); else return null; } Sun’s recommendation is to use single capital letters (such as T) for types If you have more than a couple generic types, though, you should use better names

New for statement The syntax of the new statement is for(type var : array) {...} or for(type var : collection) {...} Example: for(float x : myRealArray) { myRealSum += x; } For a collection class that has an Iterator, instead of for (Iterator iter = c.iterator(); iter.hasNext(); ) ((TimerTask) iter.next()).cancel(); you can now say for (TimerTask task : c) task.cancel();

New for statement with arrays The new for statement can also be used with arrays Instead of for (int i = 0; i < array.length; i++) { System.out.println(array[i]); } you can say (assuming array is an int array): for (int value : array) { System.out.println(value); } Disadvantage: You don’t know the index of any of your values

Creating a ArrayList the old way The syntax for creating ArrayLists has changed between Java 1.4 and Java 5 For compatibility reasons, the old way still works, but will give you warning messages Here are the (old) constructors: import java.util.ArrayList; ArrayList vec1 = new ArrayList(); Constructs an ArrayList with an initial capacity of 10 ArrayList vec2 = new ArrayList(initialCapacity);

Creating a ArrayList the new way Specify, in angle brackets after the name, the type of object that the class will hold Examples: ArrayList<String> vec1 = new ArrayList<String>(); ArrayList<String> vec2 = new ArrayList<String>(10); To get the old behavior, but without the warning messages, use the <?> wildcard Example: ArrayList<?> vec1 = new ArrayList<?>();

Accessing with and without generics Object get(int index) Returns the component at position index Using get the old way: ArrayList myList = new ArrayList(); myList.add("Some string"); String s = (String)myList.get(0); Using get the new way: ArrayList<String> myList = new ArrayList<String>(); myList.add("Some string"); String s = myList.get(0); Notice that casting is no longer necessary when we retrieve an element from a “genericized” ArrayList

Summary If you think of a genericized type as a type, you won’t go far wrong Use it wherever a type would be used ArrayList myList becomes ArrayList<String> myList new ArrayList() becomes new ArrayList<String>() public ArrayList reverse(ArrayList list) becomes public ArrayList<String> reverse(ArrayList<String> list) Advantage: Instead of having collections of “Objects”, you can control the type of object Disadvantage: more complex, more typing

The End